Dietitian

What can a Physiotherapist offer to patients in a Primary Care setting?

Dietitians are trained in behaviour change approaches such as motivational interviewing, making them well placed to support prevention and tackle health inequalities. Working within Primary Care Networks (PCNs), Dietitians can train to become First Contact Practitioners (FCP) supporting and enabling patients to self-manage their conditions. A First Contact Dietitian can provide the following:

• Enhanced care in care home – manage malnutrition and undertake swallow assessments.
• Diabetes and weight management – specialist interventions including lifestyle and pharmacology. Supporting relevant QOF points.
• Gastroenterology – manage a range of conditions including functional constipation, functional diarrhoea, bile acid diarrhoea, IBS and coeliac disease. By supporting patients to improve symptom control, dietitians can reduce the need for future primary care appointments.
• Paediatrics – manage a range of conditions within the paediatric population which may include gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, cow’s milk protein allergy, food allergies or intolerance, behavioural feeding difficulties, selective eaters, and micronutrient deficiencies.
• Training and education – upskilling the primary care workforce in the management of nutrition and dietetic related conditions throughout the lifecycle.

Dietitians with supplementary prescribing rights can prescribe/deprescribe medications relating to nutrition and dietetic conditions.